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The Cutting Edge: What Lies Ahead for HMSC

The future is bright for the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center.

A planned expansion including a recently funded 100,000 square-foot research and education building and new academic programs will ensure that the institution continues to thrive, making new discoveries and educating the coming generations of marine scientists. HMSC Director Bob Cowen brings a wealth of experience in managing interdisciplinary and collaborative research and education programs. His leadership and vision are critical to implementation of a number of new and exciting projects in the works at HMSC.

The Marine Studies Initiative, an OSU-wide initiative focused on interdisciplinary marine research, education and outreach, will connect faculty and students from all Colleges of the university who are interested in the marine realm. At HMSC, a new building will house classrooms, labs, offices, and collaborative learning spaces for students from diverse fields. Especially exciting is the addition of liberal arts, adding writers, musicians, and policy makers to the scientists, engineers and resource managers currently at HMSC. By working collaboratively, and across disciplines, students will learn by addressing real-world problems in real-world settings, with impacts realized nationally and internationally as post-graduates make contributions in their respective fields.

Another exciting initiative is the planned construction of a new research vessel. OSU was chosen by the National Science Foundation to spearhead a project to design and construct as many as three new state-of-the-art Regional Class research vessels, the first of which is expected to be an OSU vessel, home-ported at Ship Ops at HMSC. This ship will replace the aging Oceanus, which itself replaced its sister ship, the Wecoma, in 2012.

The ocean is a never-ending source of scientific wonder and inspiration. Our next 50 years will be even more dynamic and exciting, filled with discoveries that will shape the world in ways unimaginable. Our students and researchers will help inform the decisions of tomorrow, and we will share that discovery with an increasingly engaged public, eager to understand the work we do and participate in shaping our shared future.